This isn't a shot at you Chrizum, but I've asked several "non-gamer" people whether they cared about the two toads or not, and I got a resounding No from all of them.

Does it REALLY matter if you have a sprite of Toads or a sprite of Daisy/Toadette? They all do the exact same thing!  Making a mountain out of an anthill..........enjoy the game.

no.... anyway I think Nintendo is the best company and just gives a few

The Nintendo team at IGN is pretty lazy, too.

It would not have mattered. Some one would want Wario or Waluigi and another person would want to know why he can't just select the third and fourth character from a selection screen featuring characters from the Mario Universe. The team made a design decision and stuck with it. Yes Peach and Daisy would have been better but I'd rather them be in their own game. Nintendo needs to start featuring more female lead charaters in games.

Wait what haha.  So what does that suggest about yourself haha.  Didn't know this thread was going to turn into group therapy.

OT: Given, a lot of developers like to "reimagine" and "remake" their franchises for future release.  Hell Square Enix is the king of it.  And companies like to release brands more for selling points rather than making strides in gaming or being the greatest thing ever.  Hell it's a business btw.  Simply knocking Ninty on it as if others doesn't make a good point.  Especially when that same company has also made a hell of a lot more that isn't that in the last few years than that when you can't say the same for other companies.

Point is companies do risk analysis, and taking a risk with every franchise or new IP EVERY TIME is a bad idea.  Also making a "Wii Sports" everytime is not a good decision.  Knocking Nintendo for not doing that every time I don't think is a very good argument.  Not to mention they get knocked on their games for not doing enough to differentiate them (aka Twilight Princess) or not making enough traditional styled games so its hard to understand where this is coming from.  Even more, this can be directed at every other publisher out there at or above the same magnitude. 

Now I know it is December, and journalists need stories a little more than usual, but they should also make sure they just aren't making stories for hits rather than critical analysis and discussion.  Considering they knock Ninty for simply making games for money (even though they are business) I find it quite hypocritical that they probably would be very angry that I knocked them on simply writing this for hits or money (despite being a business). 

I read the first two paragraphs and couldn't continue. The butthurt was too much.

Very astute article, but you can't blame them for playing to their fanbase. The majority of Wii fans own and play the Wii for these so called cash-ins. Just because we don't like how quickly they were developed, or believe that the Mii's should have limbs, doesn't mean it would have been a good or worthy idea.

Nintendo is fine, learn 2 play.

If the programming would have cause a delay, I could understand that, given they needed a major holiday game. No, it would not have been simple. The levels are loaded with different objects that require codes beyond the base platforming code. I'm guessing Peach's dress would have to be written for all of that.

what i want to know is, would it really have made any difference if NSMB and wiisports had greta graphics?

Wow. After reading this article and some comments I'm sure now that many people forgot the meaning of video games.